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http://sgfuck.org/mybb/Thread-Foreigner-Expat-Is-5-500-Salary-Enough-for-Me-in-Singapore
Posted by Cybeh on: 15 September 2014, 14:27:06 pm
Hi,
I recently got a job offer for 5500 SGD pre tax per month ($66,000) from Singapore.
I have 6+ yrs of experience in Information Security Management, and currently earning a good salary here in India.
Is this salary good enough for me a family of three, one kid who will be going to play school in next 6 months. Wife is probably not gonna be working.
Let me know your thoughts. Am looking to have a decent lifestyle and thinking to save some.
I was thinking of taking it up and later switching to another company once am there after an year. What are the challenges for shifting jobs there?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Cybeh
*******
Posted by Do you realize… on 15 September 2014, 14:28:26 pm
I don’t think I am advertising for Singapore, but merely stating that you are comparing apples against oranges.
Traffic in Singapore is bad, but how many people on this board have ever been trapped in a 2-hour traffic in Singapore? The transport system in Singapore may not be the best, but again, we are talking about Singapore compared to India. I would say Singapore is pretty ahead in comparison.
If you look at the condition of properties, it may not be the best and there is definitely room for improvement, but again, you are comparing against India. What I am saying is, Singapore is an entirely different place compared to India. In India, a higher middle class may have 4-6 maids at home. But in Singapore or any major financial centre, how may people can have 4-6 maids at home? Just because you do not have 4-6 maids, does that mean the quality of life is compromised?
There are a lot of factors to compare, when you are putting two cities next to each other.
The best way for the OP to decide, is to simply buy an air ticket to Singapore, stay for a couple of weeks if you can afford, and make an informed decision. Everyone has their point of view on this board, but ultimately, its the OP’s POV which is most relevant.
Many Indians in Singapore feel that they are placing their kid competitively ahead when they leave India and move to Singapore. That might be something the OP would want to consider as well.
*******
Posted by An indian perspective on 2 October 2014, 1:07:56 am
I came to Singapore at age 25 earning $5K a month in 2005. The money was more than enough for a bachelor sharing a 5-room HDB apartment with 2 other bachelor friends whom I knew from India.I always had enough to go out for parties at CQ, trips with friends, the odd date now and then (unfortunately few and far between) and yet still able to save $2.5 k a month. Of course rent and cost of living were low then.Difference between my life in India and Singapore is that I had more disposable income to spend but in India by spending 25% of the salary I could afford to get someone to cook for me, someone else to clean the house and do the laundry and a third person to wash my car once a week.Fast forward to 2011, I make just under $6.2k, I’m married and my wife is unemployed. I am still renting an HDB, but the smallest possible configuration.
Taking a PR was the biggest mistake. Company reduced my salary by the amount they need to contribute. On top of that employee contribution from my salary.
Now I barely save 1K a month, that too by penny pinching to an extraordinary degree. Barely go out now to save money. Travel only by bus/MRT. No cabs for personal purposes. Eating out is now restricted to the food court. Only 1 trip a year and that too back home to visit our parents.
My college friends in India (in the IT industry) earn roughly around $3.5k to 4k in SGD terms. They live in posh apartments which they own (still have to pay the mortgage). Have servants, can afford to take vacations to places like Phuket, Bali, Egypt, Dubai and are basically enjoying life.
So my new year resolution is to leave Singapore by the middle of this year and try to get a job in India to chase the Indian dream. My Singapore dream has turned sour in the last 3 years.
So the point is…. $5.5 K is not enough for an Indian family living an upper middle class life similar to India. 3K SGD will go a long way in India. Its only just above penury in Singapore.
Posted by Cybeh on: 15 September 2014, 14:27:06 pm
Hi,
I recently got a job offer for 5500 SGD pre tax per month ($66,000) from Singapore.
I have 6+ yrs of experience in Information Security Management, and currently earning a good salary here in India.
Is this salary good enough for me a family of three, one kid who will be going to play school in next 6 months. Wife is probably not gonna be working.
Let me know your thoughts. Am looking to have a decent lifestyle and thinking to save some.
I was thinking of taking it up and later switching to another company once am there after an year. What are the challenges for shifting jobs there?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Cybeh
*******
Posted by Do you realize… on 15 September 2014, 14:28:26 pm
I don’t think I am advertising for Singapore, but merely stating that you are comparing apples against oranges.
Traffic in Singapore is bad, but how many people on this board have ever been trapped in a 2-hour traffic in Singapore? The transport system in Singapore may not be the best, but again, we are talking about Singapore compared to India. I would say Singapore is pretty ahead in comparison.
If you look at the condition of properties, it may not be the best and there is definitely room for improvement, but again, you are comparing against India. What I am saying is, Singapore is an entirely different place compared to India. In India, a higher middle class may have 4-6 maids at home. But in Singapore or any major financial centre, how may people can have 4-6 maids at home? Just because you do not have 4-6 maids, does that mean the quality of life is compromised?
There are a lot of factors to compare, when you are putting two cities next to each other.
The best way for the OP to decide, is to simply buy an air ticket to Singapore, stay for a couple of weeks if you can afford, and make an informed decision. Everyone has their point of view on this board, but ultimately, its the OP’s POV which is most relevant.
Many Indians in Singapore feel that they are placing their kid competitively ahead when they leave India and move to Singapore. That might be something the OP would want to consider as well.
*******
Posted by An indian perspective on 2 October 2014, 1:07:56 am
I came to Singapore at age 25 earning $5K a month in 2005. The money was more than enough for a bachelor sharing a 5-room HDB apartment with 2 other bachelor friends whom I knew from India.I always had enough to go out for parties at CQ, trips with friends, the odd date now and then (unfortunately few and far between) and yet still able to save $2.5 k a month. Of course rent and cost of living were low then.Difference between my life in India and Singapore is that I had more disposable income to spend but in India by spending 25% of the salary I could afford to get someone to cook for me, someone else to clean the house and do the laundry and a third person to wash my car once a week.Fast forward to 2011, I make just under $6.2k, I’m married and my wife is unemployed. I am still renting an HDB, but the smallest possible configuration.
Taking a PR was the biggest mistake. Company reduced my salary by the amount they need to contribute. On top of that employee contribution from my salary.
Now I barely save 1K a month, that too by penny pinching to an extraordinary degree. Barely go out now to save money. Travel only by bus/MRT. No cabs for personal purposes. Eating out is now restricted to the food court. Only 1 trip a year and that too back home to visit our parents.
My college friends in India (in the IT industry) earn roughly around $3.5k to 4k in SGD terms. They live in posh apartments which they own (still have to pay the mortgage). Have servants, can afford to take vacations to places like Phuket, Bali, Egypt, Dubai and are basically enjoying life.
So my new year resolution is to leave Singapore by the middle of this year and try to get a job in India to chase the Indian dream. My Singapore dream has turned sour in the last 3 years.
So the point is…. $5.5 K is not enough for an Indian family living an upper middle class life similar to India. 3K SGD will go a long way in India. Its only just above penury in Singapore.
